The US ranks 31st in math skills among 35 developed countries. So what are schools in Europe and Asia doing that we aren’t? Journalist Amanda Ripley joins us to talk about The Smartest Kids in the World.

A few years ago, Paul Tough wrote a book about research showing that character traits like grit, self-control, and optimism are critical to a child’s success. Tough’s latest book builds on that research by explaining how to put it into practice. He argues that a child’s home and school environments are the principle barriers to his or her success. Improve the environment, Tough says, and you can improve the child. He joins us Monday to explain his theory of helping children succeed. (Rebroadcast)

Many jobs have been taken from workers and given to computers. There are obvious ones like assembly line operators, but consider this: computers are now writing reports and driving cars. Even jobs you may think are secure might not be. But while the economy is changing, our education system is still based on a model created for the industrial revolution. So how do we best prepare students? It’s the question at the heart of filmmaker Greg Whiteley's lastest documentary. It's called "Most Likely to Succeed," and it's screening in Utah next week. (Rebroadcast)

Educator, writer, and parent Jessica Lahey understands the impulse to step in and try to make things easier for our kids. We want to protect them and provide for them, but when we smooth out every uncomfortable bump and obstacle, she says we also take away their chance to successfully navigate life’s “pointy bits” for themselves. Lahey has written a new book called The Gift of Failure and Thursday, she joins Doug to discuss how parents can learn to let go so their children can succeed.

Think about that one teacher who had the biggest impact on your education. What skills or qualities did that person have that other teachers didn’t? What would it mean for America’s future if we could impart the expertise of all those best teachers to every other classroom instructor? In her book, the journalist Elizabeth Green sets out to define a concrete set of best practices any teacher can learn and apply in the classroom. Green joins us Friday to make her case for building a better teacher. (Rebroadcast)

Think about that one teacher who had the biggest impact on your education. What skills or qualities did that person have that other teachers didn’t? What would it mean for America’s future if we could impart the expertise of all those best teachers to every other classroom instructor? In a new book, the journalist Elizabeth Green sets out to define a concrete set of best practices any teacher can learn and apply in the classroom. Green joins us Monday to make her case for building a better teacher. [Rebroadcast]

LC Thorne. Used with permission, Uintah County Library Regional History Center, all rights reserved.

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52:07

There are many ideas about improving education, but journalist Dana Goldstein says most of them have been tried, and many of them have already failed. Goldstein has written a book that chronicles the history of what she calls America’s most embattled profession – teaching. She joins us to tell stories of what it’s been like to be a teacher throughout our nation’s history and to talk about the questions we’ve always wrestled with: who should be teaching and what should our children be learning? [Rebroadcast]

LC Thorne. Used with permission, Uintah County Library Regional History Center, all rights reserved.

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52:28

There are many ideas about improving education, but journalist Dana Goldstein says most of them have been tried, and many of them have already failed. Goldstein has written a new book that chronicles the history of what she calls America’s most embattled profession – teaching. Monday, she joins us to tell stories of what it’s been like to be a teacher throughout our nation’s history and to talk about the questions we’ve always wrestled with: who should be teaching and what should our children be learning?

Think about that one teacher who had the biggest impact on your education. What skills or qualities did that person have that other teachers didn’t? What would it mean for America’s future if we could impart the expertise of all those best teachers to every other classroom instructor? In a new book, the journalist Elizabeth Green sets out to define a concrete set of best practices any teacher can learn and apply in the classroom. Green joins us Tuesday to make her case for building a better teacher.